Thunderstorms
by Jessiy Landroz
Summary: its tough being the second eldest a Raphael fic [One Shot]


Thunderstorms

I rolled in bed, trying to sleep.

It had been raining for hours nonstop, it was very frustrating! The ceiling dripped with water, the cold, wet droplets of seeping raindrops tricking along the cracks in the walls, the floors were wet, the never ending drip-drip sound kept going over and over, it just never shut up! It was going to drive me insane! To make things worse, thunder struck loudly every so often, I live deep within the sewers and even I can still hear them from here!

I hate this! At this rate, I'm never going to get any sleep!

Thunder struck one more time, I groaned, pressing the pillow to my head, trying to block out the sounds.

Don't get me wrong, I like thunderstorms and thunder, its cool, but too much of it, plus a pestering rainstorm, is a plain pain in the shell, you know?

Thunder struck again, louder than before.

"AH!" came a startling cry, and then someone leaped into my bed.

"What the- Miky?" I groaned, "What is it this time?" I whined, pushing my pillow away.

"I'm scared!" my baby brother whimpered, his hands on his head as he snuck under my blanket when thunder struck again.

"Please." I rolled my eyes, "Mike, we're not kids anymore! Grow up!" I lectured.

"I'm only ten!" he complained, "Cant I stay here until the storm stops? Please, Raphy?" he pleaded.

"No, and don't call me Raphy!" I growled and tugged at my blanket, "Go to your own room! I'm trying to sleep!" I told him.

He gave me these big, glassy eyes, "But my room is all damp, the ceiling is leaking and I'm scared!" he admitted.

I groaned, "So?"

"Please? Just this time?" he scooted closer to me, but when thunder struck again, he yelped and leaped into my lap, shivering, he wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me.

I sighed, '_You'll always be a baby, Mike._' I wanted to say, but he was too pathetic, I couldn't say it out loud, "Fine." I breathed, petting his head, knowing that I was going to regret it sooner or later. Probably more sooner than later.

My little brother's eyes lit, he snuggled besides me and I fixed my blanket over us.

In a matter of minutes, the storm raged louder, almost threatening to tear the ceiling from over our heads.

"This is scary." Mike said, snuggled really close to my side.

I was sitting back upright, my shell to my pillow, "Not really." I murmured, '_I admit it's a little loud, but not all that scary._' I told myself.

He looked up at me, he arched his brows, "You're not scared, Raph?"

I thought about it for a few seconds, "I used to, but not anymore." I shrugged, indifferent about the situation.

He gripped my hand a little, "Really?"

I held his hand, assuring him, "Yeah."

Thunder struck a few more times, even louder with heavier pouring rain.

Mike squeaked and hid behind me, tugging my pillow, he placed it over his head for cover.

I laughed, "Mike, what are you doing?"

"I'm ducking for cover!" he squeaked frightfully, "The thunder man is gonna get me!" he whimpered.

"The thunder man?" I arched a brow, doubtful.

"Actually," a voice spoke at my bedroom door, "Thunder is not a person, its when two clouds collide." it explained.

"Donny?" I asked, pretty confused.

My other younger brother had his pillow in his arms.

Thunder stuck for the umpteenth time this evening.

In a blink of an eye, Donny was ducking besides me, his pillow over his head, "Oh Geez! Not you too!" I argued.

"This is really scary, Raph!" Donny whimpered, "I've never seen a thunderstorm like this before."

"How can you see it?" I said sarcastically, "We're living underground!"

He blinked, "Well still!" he argued.

Thunder struck.

I groaned, my two younger brothers were clutching to me, each from a side, "Why are you two even here? Shouldn't you go to Leo's room?" I complained.

Mike gave me a frightened look, "But Leo's sick, remember?"

"Yeah." Donny agreed, "Master Splinter asked us not to go to his room because we might catch his cold."

I groaned again, "Flu. Right; forgot."

Mike sat up, still holding my hand.

Donny sat up to my other side and blinked, "Is it okay if we stay here with you, Raph?"

"What about your rooms?" I grumbled.

"They're really leaking." Donny replied, "But since your room is the farthest from the drain way, it's the driest one." He continued.

"Oh." I replied, but then knot my brows, "But we're turtles! What's it matter if our rooms are damp?"

"I wouldn't mind if it was just the room, Raph." Donny exclaimed, "Our beds are wet because of the leaks, you don't expect us to sleep on soggy mattresses, do you?" he continued.

"Besides, we can't sleep." Mike finished.

Thunder struck, but a little lighter than before.

"Well neither can I with all the noise you're making!" I argued.

"We'll be as quiet as mice!" Mike begged, "Please Raph, we'll be quiet!" he pleaded, "Just let us stay here with you?"

Donny nodded, "Yeah, please Raph?"

I sighed, it was obviously that I was in a losing battle anyway, "Fine!"

"Thanks Raph!" Donny beamed and snuggled besides me, getting comfortable.

"You're the best!" Mike chimed and snuggled to my other side.

"Yeah, whatever." I suppressed a grin and felt a strange tingle on my cheeks.

As the storm kept pouring in the rain, the thunder kept flashing outside the sewers, I really wanted to go out and see the flash of thunder for myself, but master Splinter had warned us, saying it was too dangerous to wander outside on the surface during storms. Donny had quickly fallen asleep, tucked under the blanket besides me; Miky on the other hand, was half dozing off to my other side; as for me, well, I still sat up with my shell to the pillow, the bed was never made for three turtles to fit, so I had to scoot a little away to make room for them.

"Raphy?" Miky whispered sleepily, the loud clashing of thunder no longer reaching his ears.

"Don't call me Raphy." I began, lecturing him quietly, "What is it?" I whispered, not wanting to awaken my sleeping brother.

"You think Leo's gonna be okay?" he asked sleepily.

I stared at the foot of my bed, and then looked up at the cracked ceiling, "He'll be fine, master Splinter is with him, so I'm sure he's alright."

"That's good." Miky smiled, still holding my hand.

After a few seconds, we both silently listened to the roaring of the rain as it temporarily died down; our hopes that the storm had stopped were blown away as it started pouring harder than before, thunder struck more often than usual as well.

"When Leo gets better, think master Splinter would let us go skateboarding?"

I shrugged a shoulder, "I don't see why not." I reasoned.

"That'd be great." My younger brother smiled and snuggled deeper into my pillows.

I smiled and looked at the ceiling again, watching the droplets of rain as they trickled, idly watching every droplet as it took the same rout the droplet before had taken, from the arched ceiling, to the far wall, the droplets slid down and hit the floor, trickling in a small stream, flowing out of my room, and out of my vision, I had no idea where the small stream stopped.

Leo had caught the cold about a week ago, at first he was just fine, we thought that he was just having a runny nose, beak, or whatever, but then his temperature started rising, that had master Splinter worried, after a check up master Splinter told us that Leo's caught a cold, probably some sort of hard-core flu, so he has to be separated from us until he gets better. Master Splinter would stay with Leo until he goes to sleep, then master Splinter would train us before leaving to fetch some stinking weeds he claimed would make Leo get better.

I'm not scared, thought I admit I'm just a little worried, Leo looked really tired the last I saw him, which was about three days ago.

_Three days? _

Had it been that long?

I felt a twinge of something in my guts, I didn't like it, only when Miky tightened his grip on my hand did I snap out of my thoughts to look at him.

He was holding my hand, still sleeping, murmuring something about super man secretly being a turtle, I think.

Donny murmured something about '_the red wire, not the blue one!_' in his sleep before he snuggled into the pillow, he placed his hand on my legs before he went deeper into dreamland.

The blanket slipped off so I tugged at it, making sure it covered both him and Miky.

Its tough being the second older brother, sometimes I wonder what it feels if I were Leo, the first and eldest brother. Would I still get angry at him when we have different ideas about any certain matter? Would I still get into fights with him? if I were ever forced to become second in command, or even the one in command for that matter, would I still be able to give all three of them enough confidence to get us out of whatever problem we might get ourselves into? Would I even be qualified as a leader?

"Raphael?" I heard a voice at my bedroom's door again, so I blinked at the door.

"Hi, master Splinter." I greeted quietly, Miky and Donny asleep by my sides.

Master Splinter walked closer, for a moment he just looked at us, this shine in his eye had me confused, but then he smiled, "So this is where your brothers had fled?" he chuckled, talking more to himself than to me.

"They couldn't sleep." I shrugged an indifferent shoulder.

Master Splinter smiled, I like it when he smiles like that, it makes me feel really warm, "What about you?"

"They were too noisy, I couldn't sleep." I explained.

Master Splinter chuckled again, he pulled at a blanket, that I just noticed, from his hands, he double-layered the blankets to keep us warm, and to make sure it covered all three of us.

I felt Miky loosen the grip on my hand, I could just pull my hand away, but I didn't want to, though he still tried to snuggle deeper into me.

"You should get some sleep as well, my son. The night is still very long, and it doesn't seem that this storm would subdue any time soon." He explained.

I nodded in understanding, "Okay."

Master Splinter smiled and walked away.

"Master Splinter?" I called, trying not to be too loud, Miky gets really annoying when I wake him from his naps, its too troublesome to get him to go back to sleep.

"Yes, my son?" my grey furred, father-figure turned to me with a smile.

"Um," I hesitated, "Is Leo okay?" I asked, unsure.

My father smiled a little wider, he started grooming his short, small, grey beard, "Your brother is fine, the fever had begun to withdraw, he should be just fine by tomorrow." He told.

"That's good," I nodded, "because Miky was really worried." I informed.

He nodded and smiled, "Worry not, he will be just fine. Now get some sleep, you too should rest."

"I know." I told him and snuggled into the bed, "Good night, master Splinter."

"Good night, Raphael."

With that he walked away, after a few seconds the light in the living room was flicked, turned off, and the place got just a little darker. Not that I don't like the darkness, I like it when its dark, but Miky is the problem, he's afraid of the dark, he even sleeps with a nightlight. He's such a scardy turtle, he's always complaining that we're too mean when we take away his nightlight. I remember I used to be afraid of the dark too, but I got over it, its not so scary, actually I think the darkness is pretty cool, as long as I know there is nothing creeping around, waiting to get me.

I yawned, sleep was catching up to me, so I snuggled into my pillow and closed my eyes.

The drip-drip sound of the pouring rain started fading from my ears, so it was either that I was falling asleep, or the storm had stopped, either way, I don't care, as long as I get a descent amount of sleep before Miky wakes up, its fine by me.

I wonder how a thunderstorm looks like; I've never been to the surface long enough to see one.

I bet its really cool, though.

A shining bolt of thunder, clashing whatever comes in its way.

Yawn…

Its probably really awesome…

Hmm…

A/N: hehehe! My first TMNT fanfic, w00t! Anyway, comments, suggestions and pointers are welcomed; flames will be used to cook Miky's marshmallows, yum!


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